


Animal Penthouse

by celli



Series: Babysitting'verse [4]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cats, Chromatic Character, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-18
Updated: 2003-07-18
Packaged: 2017-10-19 00:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/194819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celli/pseuds/celli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You. Rescued. A. Cat."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Animal Penthouse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emrinalexander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emrinalexander/gifts).



"Uncle Lex?" Laura said from the other room.

"I'll be out in a second," Lex said. He quickly finished cutting the crusts off the tuna sandwich in front of him.

"But, uh--"

"What? Did you spill something?" He walked through the door and stopped short. "What is _that_?"

"I didn't do it," P.J. said immediately. The favored phrase of any five-year-old.

"Me either," Laura said

That only left one culprit. "Clark," Lex said. There was an embarrassed cough from the doorway. Lex didn't look over; his eyes were on the ball of gray fur in the middle of his living room. "Why is there a _cat_ in my penthouse?"

The kitten licked P.J.'s hand. He giggled. "It's all rough!"

"I wanna try!" Laura stuck her hand out. The kitten (wisely) ran under the sofa. Lex groaned. God only knew what he'd do down there. Laura was immediately on her hands and knees in front of the couch. "Hey, come back! Here kitty kitty kitty!"

"So now it's your penthouse?" Clark said, eyebrows raised. "Yours?"

"That's not the point. The point is that there's a cat in...it." Lex set the sandwich down on the table and turned to face Clark, who looked defensive already. "And since we're a few stories up, I doubt the cat--" Meaningful look. "-- _flew_ in."

"Ooh, maybe it's a alien cat like Superman!" P.J. said.

"P.J., that is *so* stupid," Laura said with all the scorn she could muster. "Cats don't come from outer space. Uncle Clark brought it."

"I had a feeling."

Laura stuck her head under the couch. "How come it smells like smoke, though?" she asked, her voice muffled but perfectly clear.

"You didn't," Lex breathed.

Clark gave an embarrassed shrug. "There was a fire," he muttered, checking to see if either child was listening. "And it was meowing, and everyone in the apartment complex said they didn't know who it belonged to."

"You. Rescued. A. Cat."

There was a crash, and Laura's delighted voice. "There it is! And look, Uncle Lex, it likes the tuna you brought."

"That was your lunch, not--oh, never mind." Lex bent down and started picking up pieces of plate. "Last thing I need is cat blood all over my sofa."

"See, there you go again with--"

"Don't start with me, Clark." Lex's voice was sharp enough that even the children looked at him oddly. The cat, though, stopped nosing the sandwich long enough to look over at Lex curiously. It tilted its head, tilted back, then leaned over and licked the back of Lex's hand.

He managed not to twitch. P.J. was right, its tongue was rough. It licked one more time, looked up at him, and broke into a purr so loud he could feel the vibrations from a few inches away.

"Oh, he's loud!" Laura clapped her hands. The cat jumped and looked up at her warily.

"All right. Laura, why don't you go into the kitchen and get me the Dustbuster, okay? We need to clean this all up." Lex continued picking up plate pieces, ignoring the cat, who was back to nosing at the sandwich. "And take P.J. with you so he doesn't get hurt."

Clark knelt next to him and took the pieces from Lex's hand. "I'm sorry, I forgot the kids were going to be here. I really didn't--I just wanted to bring him by and see if maybe--I can take him to the animal shelter, no problem."

"I didn't know you wanted a cat," Lex said, not taking his eyes off the mess on his carpet.

"I don't think I did, either, until I picked him up." Clark leaned over to rub the top of the cat's head. The kitten looked up and meowed once.

"I'm not good with animals."

"That's what you said about kids. Come to think of it, that's what you said about aliens."

Lex had to smile.

"Here you go!" Laura proudly handed over the Dustbuster. "Are you guys going to keep him? We can come visit him and take him for walks and stuff."

"You don't walk cats, baby. But yes. You can come visit him."

"Yay!" Laura said.

"Yay!" P.J. echoed.

"Yay," Clark whispered in Lex's ear.

***

The next morning Lex woke up draped across Clark's chest as usual. But there was an odd...pressure? on his back.

"Clark?" he asked sleepily.

Clark was fighting a smile. "Don't move."

"What? It's not a meteor monster, is it?" Lex was not a morning person. "Because I'm too tired to run."

"No."

Lex lay still. What was that vibra--oh. He reached a hand up slowly towards his back until it met fur. "Hello, Tuna," he said.

Tuna purred louder and licked his hand.

"He answers to it now," Clark said with disgust. "Now I'm stuck with a cat named Tuna."

" _You're_ stuck?"

"Don't start with me, Lex."


End file.
